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MP3 Thomas Barber's Janus Bloc - Snow Road
8 MP3 Songs in this album (52:41) !
Related styles: JAZZ: Experimental Big Band, JAZZ: Progressive Jazz
People who are interested in Dave Douglas Kenny Wheeler Maria Schneider should consider this download.
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A brilliant young trumpeter, arranger and composer, Thomas Barber creates music that is often cinematic, always full of surprises, and capable of going in almost any direction. On his debut CD Snow Road, he introduces seven colorful originals that utilize a very intriguing instrumentation and are utterly unpredictable yet ultimately logical. This is 21st century jazz.
Born in Moscow, Idaho 29 years ago, Thomas remembers seeing and being very impressed by the Ray Brown Trio at the Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival when he was just four or five. He started piano lessons around that time but switched his focus to the trumpet four years later. “I found that I could make a sound on the trumpet and it seemed simpler than a wind instrument with all of its keys. As a teenager I performed at weddings with some of the older musicians. There were two universities within seven miles of where I lived and I was called regularly for whatever little work there was in the small town area. Most important for me was a weekly gig that with a quintet during junior high and high school. It taught me what it is like to perform 3 1/2 or 4 hours at a time. I learned a lot of tunes, and many of the ins and outs of playing in a jazz small ensemble.”
After he won the Lionel Hampton High School Trumpet Competition (performing “’Round Midnight,” “All Blues” and “Groovin’ High”), he began to treat the trumpet as a serious career choice. Attending the University of Northern Colorado, Thomas chose to work towards a classical degree because he wanted to improve his technical ability on the trumpet. “At the same time, I was opened up to composing during my time at UNC. Many people encouraged me to develop my skills in that area. It was during this time that I realized the correlation between performing and composing. The better a composer one is, the better a player one can be and vice versa.” Thomas had opportunities to play with many of the musicians who passed through town including Louie Bellson, Pete Fountain, Nicholas Payton, Maria Schneider, Bob Brookmeyer, Conrad Herwig and Kenny Wheeler.
After graduating and saving up money, he entered The Juilliard School’s Artist Diploma program in September 2004, studying jazz performance. “Juilliard is extremely devoted to developing how musicians play in an ensemble. The master classes are dedicated to how to listen in ensembles and how to interact in a constructive manner to other musicians.”
Since moving to New York, Thomas Barber has been quite busy as both a trumpeter and as a composer. He has composed for Steve Turre and Joe Alessi, arranged for the trombone ensemble Dease Bones, been a sideman and an arranger on a variety of recordings, and written scores for four films: Lovesick, the short Operation Fish, a documentary about the Portland Trailblazers (Mania), and another documentary film about hockey called Kings of the Road: The Story of the Portland Buckaroos. In addition, in 2005 he performed with Paul Simon at the Hurricane Katrina benefit concert. As a leader, Thomas plays in separate quartets with pianist Ola Gjelo and drummer Fuyu Murata. But closest to his heart is Janus Bloc, the intriguing group that is featured on Snow Road.
“I’ve always loved big bands, film scores and orchestral music. For this group, I want to be able to switch from a jazz trio setting to an orchestral palette, and then on to a big band sound at whim. The overall goal with Janus Bloc is to have as many different compositional choices at my disposal as possible.” The group on Snow Road consists of the leader on trumpet along with trombone, French horn, alto (doubling on flute), tenor, clarinet, baritone (also playing bass clarinet), a string quartet and a three-piece rhythm section. There are also guest appearances by trumpeter Claudio Roditi and vibraphonist Tim Collins.
Janus Bloc performs seven of Thomas Barber’s originals plus a heartfelt version of “Come Sunday”; the program is continually intriguing. From the innovative harmonies on “Shatzaquotek” to the lush “Snow For Snow Road,” the post bop “White Out.” And the burning “Lickity Split” to the fine solos by trombonist-producer Michael Dease and Claudio Roditi on the jazz waltz “Elizabeth Rose,” the music covers a wide span of moods, ideas and grooves without neglecting to swing. Snow Road deserves quite a few listens because there is much to be revealed in the writing and the solos.
Thomas Barber is enthusiastic about Janus Bloc. “I am in the process of booking a bi-monthly workshop in which we can run through new compositions. We are planning many performances during the next few months. For the future I want to write much more for this ensemble. I love the instrumentation and would love to tour and perform with this group regularly.”
Much more will be heard from Thomas Barber in the future.
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